Somewhere Not Over the Rainbow
by PalisDelon
Summary: After just six months in the suit Cain is set free by the fighters. But the next time he's caught the witch comes up with a much more creative punishment.
1. Chapter 1

Part 1

"Why don't I just kill him, your Highness?"

"Zero, must you be so mundane?" Azkadellia sighed. "He survived six months in the suit, only to somehow get free and lead an attack on me. Killing him would be much too merciful." Azkadellia walked over to the tall blond man who was chained to the wall. "Summon a storm." she told Zero as she ran the back of her hand gently over the man's cheek. "Too bad though." she said softly. "You have such amazing eyes."

* * *

Emily was going to be late for her shift. While the sky seemed clear, everyone in these parts knew to be just a bit more alert after a twister. Twisters had a way of leaving oddities in its wake.

Emily pulled into the staff parking lot and got out of the car. The local hospital wasn't that large, just two floors, but, after last night, Emily knew that there would plenty to do.

Six hours later she and the other nurses had finally gotten everything under control and were sitting down to enjoy a nice cup of coffee.

"Some broken windows is all." "We were fine, didn't even hear a thing." "...perfectly fine, just moved to the other side of the driveway."

Emily listened with half an ear to the other women talk about the storm. The fear Emily and her husband had felt when they had heard the first warning was so different from what anyone else in the county could even begin to imagine.

The service band radio on the desk crackled and Emily reached for the mic. "This is Emily, go ahead."

"Hey, Emily. Gluch here. I'm headed your way. Found a man by the side of the road. He looks fine but he keeps saying that he was _in_ the twister."

Emily froze, the fear from last night coming back to her.

"ETA is ten minutes." The sound of the radio brought Emily back to the here and now.

"We'll be ready for you. Holy Heart out." With a shaking hand, Emily put the mic back on its hook.

* * *

Wyatt sat in the bed and just looked at the tray of food. This was his life now.

Oh, not the whole hospital part; that would be ending soon. It had been six days and he was about ready to climb the walls.

No, this place, Kansas, this was his life now.

Ever since Azkadellia had given the order Wyatt had been trying to come up with a plan; a way to get back to the O.Z., back to the bastard that killed his family.

He thought he could throw himself back into the storm after he got through, but the landing had knocked him out. When he came to there was a Tin Man... No, there was a sheriff's officer checking him over.

How was it that he had forgotten all his years of training? The officer asked him if he could remember his name and where he was from and he had just opened his mouth and started talking about the O.Z. and being a part of the resistance. The next thing Wyatt knew he was in the back of a car being taken for medical evaluation. Because when someone starts talking about traveling in a tornado and being from a world ruled by a witch, well, they're crazy.

"And how's the oatmeal today?"

Wyatt looked up and felt a lightening inside. The first day, when he realized that there was no way back, he had shut down; he wouldn't eat, didn't answer the doctors. Then Nurse Roberts came into the room, chatting away about the weather, her husband, how her daughter was doing in school and, amid all that chatter, she grabbed his dinner tray and shoved a bite into his mouth. Keeping up the chatter she had almost force-fed him. Then, despite his vocal protests, took off his gown and gave him a sponge bath.

She had made him feel like a damn baby. The next morning when breakfast was brought in he sat up quickly and ate it all before she had a chance to repeat her actions. As he was finishing off the last of the oatmeal Nurse Roberts had walked into his room, she looked over his tray, nodded her head, then simply turned around and left. The feeling that he had been tricked washed over him and for the first time in over six months he had smiled.

"Oatmeal's fine." he answered her. "Just like it's been for the last week."

Nurse Roberts walked over and started to check his pulse and blood pressure. "Well it's the last day you have to eat it." Wyatt gave a humpf. "Any thought of what you're going to do once you get out?"

The doctors said the reason he couldn't remember what had happened before the tornado was due to some form of amnesia. The doctors told him that his memories should return and in the mean time he should find something to do that felt comfortable.

"I don't know. It's like I've been dropped into a whole different world."

The doctors were idiots.

"Well, maybe I could help." Nurse Roberts said.

Wyatt felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. "That's mighty nice of you, but..."

"Oh stop." Nurse Roberts interrupted. "Nice has got nothing to do with it. My husband hurt his back a few months ago and just can't work the way he used to. And there is no way DG can take over the work, even though she insists she can." Wyatt gave up the fight and let the smile out.

"So really, it's plain selfishness that has you offering me this job." Wyatt said.

Nurse Roberts looked at him for a minute, then winked. "I'll drive you out to the farm on my lunch break so Hank can show you around before dark."

* * *

Wyatt walked into the kitchen and poured a mug of coffee from the pot that had been set to brew at 3:45.

Nearly a year on this side and Wyatt was still amazed by some of the things over here. Wyatt dumped the used grounds and measured out the ingredients for the next pot which would brew at 7:00 for Hank and Emily.

Taking his mug outside, Wyatt stood on the porch and, in the pre-dawn gloom, looked over the field he would be working today. His musings were interrupted by the sound of a vehicle at the end of the driveway. Whoever it was only pulled in halfway, then backed out again. Wyatt set his mug down and listened.

There. Someone was walking toward the house. Wyatt crouched down and waited. He could make out the shape of a person coming closer, but instead of coming up to the porch whoever it was had climbed onto the rain water barrel and was now reaching for the edge of the roof. Wyatt straightened up when he heard a muffled "Shit" come from the intruder. He knew that voice.

"Need some help there, DG?"

There was a "Crap!" and a thud. Wyatt walked down the stairs and stood over the teen girl. "How was the party that your parents said you couldn't go to?"

"What the hell, Cain?" DG said as she sat up "Are you some kind of freaking robot? Don't you ever sleep?"

"Got lots to do, can't waste the sunlight." Wyatt held out a hand to the girl and hulled her up "And you didn't answer my question."

Even though her face was shielded by the darkness Wyatt had seen her pissed-off expression enough times to know exactly how she looked right now: eyebrows down and lips tightened.

"Don't give me that look, kid." Wyatt sighed and walked back to the porch to grab his coffee. "Use the stairs. If your parents wake up you can say I dropped something and that woke you up." Wyatt started off to the barn.

"You're letting me off?"

Wyatt turned around, "I know this might be hard for you to picture, but I was young once."

The sun rose to the sound of DG's laughter.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

Wyatt and Hank were in the kitchen, talking over the order for next season's planting when the door slammed open and DG went running up the stairs.

"I'M NOT WEARING A DRESS!!"

The force of DG's bedroom door slamming shook the whole house. The two men looked up to see Emily standing in the entry hall, looking as is she had been through a war.

"What happened, sweetie-pie?" Hank asked.

Emily put a hand up to her forehead and started to rub between her eyebrows. "You really don't want to know.

* * *

Wyatt had just decided to lie down for a quick nap before dinner when there was a knock on the door.

"It's open," Cain called.

"Hey Cain." Well, this was new. In the three years Wyatt had been living with the Roberts, DG had never been in his lean-to.

"DG? Is something wrong?" Wyatt stood up and reached for his boots.

"Is it all right... I mean, would you mind if..." DG took a deep breath "Could I hide out here for a while?"

"What? Why?" Wyatt was thoroughly confused.

DG looked down at the floor as she scuffed the toe of her sneaker back and forth, "Mom thinks I've gone over to Heather's house to get ready for the prom."

"And what does Heather think?" Cain asked slowly.

"That I'm boycotting a misogynistic ritual." DG's toe was working in circles now.

"Okay," Wyatt cleared his throat. "Now, the truth."

DG looked up and Wyatt could see tears in her eyes. "No one asked me." A tear rolled down her check.

* * *

That night, after seeing the tears roll down her face, Wyatt realized that she wasn't just a quiet kid, but a near-adult, with dreams that she was cultivating.

After Wyatt came back in from dinner, he found her sitting on the floor with her sketch pad open. She showed him some of her drawings, told him about how she wanted to go to art school and then spend a few years traveling in Europe.

She told him about De Vinci: how he was more then just a painter; how he had come up with journal after journal of ideas about the human body, physics, aerodynamics, solar power. "Really, you hold them up to a mirror and they're fine. No one knows if it was because he didn't want other people to read his notes or if it was something to do with him being left-handed."

Then she asked him about his ring.

"Her name was Adora. She was..." His voice cut out "Jeb had her eyes." Wyatt closed his eyes. "They died about a year before I came out here."

There was a look in DG's wide eyes that he had never seen before.

Wyatt turned away from that look and lay down on his bed. He could hear DG's quiet breathing even out as she fell asleep in his overstuffed chair.

He stared at up at the ceiling for hours, running first through his memories of Adora and Jeb, then through the memories of his time with the Roberts. Hank and Emily had taken him in, given him a place in this strange world, and now, DG was reminding him what it was to dream.

A beeping startled him from his thoughts. He looked over to see DG sitting up and yawning as she turned off the alarm on her watch.

"You headin' out kid?" Wyatt asked.

"Yeah, thanks for putting up with me Mr. Cain." DG grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder.

"Hey, Kid." DG turned around in the open door. "After this, you might as well call me Wyatt."


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3

"But, I'll be starting work and college... I need that car!"

Hank sighed and put down his fork. "That car has had a good life, but it's dead, Baby Girl. And, right now, we don't have the money to get a new one. Your mom or I will drive you to work and you'll just have to catch the morning bus to Scott City."

DG huffed. "But, if I have to take the bus back and forth, then I can only do half days. It'll take an extra year!"

Hank reached over and patted DG's hand. "I'm sorry, but that's the way things are."

* * *

"Happy birthday, dear DG. Happy birthday to you!"

DG looked into the glowing candles, took a breath, closed her eyes and blew them out.

Once the cake was cut and handed out, Heather said, "Open mine first!" and handed DG a small box.

DG tore open the paper to reveal a Nina Simon CD. "So cool!" she said.

Heather just shrugged. "You and your tastes, thank God for Amazon."

She went on to open a scarf from Anne; a book about Paul Sandby from Ryan; a pair of handmade earrings from Jops; a blank sketch book from Tim; and a new paint set from her mom and pop.

"A pretty good haul," she said to her mom later, as they were washing the dishes. "I've said for years we should celebrate my half-birthday, as well. Think of how much loot I could have had by now."

"Hush you," Emily said and flicked a handful of water at her.

DG laughed and tried to dance away, but, at that same moment, Wyatt walked in the door.

"Oof"

"Oops!" DG laughed. "That's what you get for not coming to my party."

She smiled as Cain shot an annoyed look at her.

"Sure, I come here to give you your present, but I'm trampled and then insulted. Forget it." He turned back toward the door.

"You got me something!" DG quickly twisted the towel she was holding then snapped it at the door handle. Cain drew his hand back just before the towel made contact.

"Freeze, Mister!" She said in her best gangster voice. "Hand over the gift and nobody gets hurt."

Cain tossed something on to the table and she dove for it. "You got me a pair of coveralls for my birthday?" DG put her hands on her hips. "Has anyone ever explained how this birthday thing is suppose to work?"

She got just a little pissed when Cain started to smirk. "Believe me kid, you'll need them."

DG looked back at the mass of dark blue. "For what?" she asked in a mocking tone. "Helping Kaylee ward off the space monkeys?"

"Nah." Cain opened the screen door and pointed to something outside. "For that."

DG ran out to the porch. Sitting in the driveway was a rusted, beat-up frame and a crate of parts. "You got me a motorcycle!"


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

Hank was almost done with the crossword when a thud alerted him to the fact that DG was awake.

DG walked into the side of the refrigerator. "Awake is relative" he thought.

Hank watched and held back a chuckle as DG pried one eye open and looked at the 'fridge. "Has that always been there?" she asked.

"Yup." Hank said as DG flopped into a chair.

Hank stood up, poured a mug of coffee and placed it in front of his girl. "Tough day at work yesterday?"

"You have no idea."

Hank went back to his crossword as DG woke up and puttered around getting ready for the day.

"You ready to go, Baby-girl?" He asked once DG had finished her breakfast.

"Ready and raring."

Hank grabbed his coat and headed out the door behind DG. Climbing into the truck, Hank sent out a silent prayer that the call back to the O.Z. would not come while DG was gone.

* * *

DG had been watching the hands on the clock crawl closer and closer to closing time. Getting up in time to catch the morning bus to Scott City was making her days way too long. Thank God there were only two months left before summer break. It was only eight and she was nearly dead on her feet.

The last customer finally left and DG let out a sigh. She quickly bussed her tables, then went to change out of her uniform.

DG walked out to the parking lot energized by the paycheck in her pocket. "Hey there, Kid."

DG spun around to see Cain leaning out the window of the truck. "Where's my dad?"

Cain pushed the brim of his hat up, "No 'hi Wyatt'. No 'good to see you'. If that's your attitude maybe you'd like to walk home."

DG scowled as she tossed her backpack into the bed of the truck and climbed into the cab. "Don't bitch at me, _Wyatt_. It's been a long day."

Cain laughed as he pulled the truck on to the highway.

* * *

Wyatt parked the tractor next to the barn and climbed down. His back felt like it had been through a wringer. A memory from another life slipped through his mind. The tractor may be bad but the transport trucks he had driven in his first years as a Tin Man had been worse.

Tugged his sweat soaked shirt off, Wyatt walked over to the rainwater barrel and washed the top layers of ick off.

Wyatt threw his shirt over his shoulder and walked into the house. Emily had made a big pitcher of lemonade before she left and it was all he had been thinking about for the last half hour.

Sweet golden goodness!

Wyatt leaned against the counter and drank, closing his eyes and tilting his head back as the glass emptied. With a sigh he opened his eyes. "Christ, DG! I didn't know you were home."

DG just stood in the doorway, her eyes wide and an odd look on her face.

"I'm all sweaty, so I'm gonna hit the shower."

DG's eyes started darting around the room, "Shower?"

"Yeah." he nodded. "You wanna work on the bike when I get out?"

"Bike? I, um..." DG started backing out the door. "Yes?" She turned around and left.

"That kid gets stranger every day."

* * *

Alright, who the hell was that in the kitchen? No way it was Cain. Cain who picks me up after work and teases me while we worked on my bike and...

How long has _that_ been hiding under his shirt?

All the hard and ripply and tan...

Tan?

Oh, God. That means he takes his shirt off when he's working!

STOP IT!

This is _Cain_. The guy who's been working for your family for the last five years. He was already old when you first met him. You were fourteen, he was Thirty. Ancient!

But that was not old guy Cain in the kitchen.

He's what? Thirty-five? Thirty-five isn't that old.

Oh, god. Not old guy Cain. Nope.

_Wyatt_.

"Wyatt."

Oh, god. That should **not** sound so...

Crap! It sounds sexy. It shouldn't sound _sexy_.

Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!

Okay, breath, breath. This isn't such a big deal. My period's due in a few days, I'm just horny, that's all. Happens every month. Stupid hormones. Just breath, everything will be fine. I can go downstairs and work on the bike like nothing happened. Like I didn't just see him half... naked.

"Crap."

Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!

* * *

DG was acting weird.

Not the same weird that Emily was used to, but a new weird, and it had Emily nearly going out of her mind.

"Hi mom-ster!" Well, speak of the devil...

"Hey sweetie. How was school?" Was DG wearing make-up?

"It was good." Emily felt a coldness slip through her. DG had met a boy.

This was not good.

* * *

For the first time in six years Wyatt missed his gun.

Oh, sure David was a nice boy. Well-mannered, respectful, smart.

But it was still the principle of the thing. The time honored tradition, the natural rights of men who had lived through abject fear to then be able to inflict that fear on others.

And besides, Wyatt had seen the boy looking at DG's backside as she walked into the kitchen.

He really missed his gun.

"So, David," Hank said. "What is it you're studying?"

"Oh, I'm still undeclared." David answered. "I guess you might say that having a good time is my major right now."

Wyatt really, really missed his gun.

* * *

"We always knew that this was a possibility."

"But so soon, Em?"

"Most of her friends were dating years ago."

Wyatt was sure that Hank and Emily didn't realize that their voices were carrying so far.

"I guess I still see the little girl who would rather chase frogs."

Wyatt smiled at that image as silence fell. It was a few minutes before he heard Hank sigh. "Orders from her mother aside, I don't like the boy."

Her mother?


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

Emily sat on the porch, mending Hank's overalls and enjoying the warmth. The weather had turned last week and soon there would be snow. Emily could only hope that the difficultly of getting around during the Kansas winter would keep DG home a little more. Why, over the summer it was like DG wasn't even living there; she had spent every waking hour with David. And Emily didn't even want to consider the non-waking hours.

The wind was picking up, so Emily gathered up her things. She stood up just as Hank and Wyatt walked over.

"Did you men manage to get everything in?" she asked.

Wyatt nodded his head. "It's all in."

"And just in time," Hank added. "There's a storm coming."

The two men walked into the house to wash up, but Emily turned and looked to the sky. She could only hope that the storm wouldn't be too late.

* * *

Wyatt was half-sleeping, half-watching TV when the screen door slammed.

"Shhhhhh!" A very loud whisper came from the hall. "Can't wake up my 'rents."

Cain walked over to see a very drunk DG being helped into the house by her friend, Heather. He looked from one girl to the other. Heather just pushed DG towards him. "I need a rag, she puked in my car."

Cain looked down at the girl who was slowly sliding down his chest. "Hi, Cain!" she said, then her legs gave out completely. Wyatt caught her before she did a face plant into the floor. "Let's get you sitting down." he said as he led her to the sofa.

DG sank into the sofa, but then sort of drifted to the left until gravity won and she fell onto her side.

Cain shook his head at the sight. "What the hell did you get into tonight, kid?" It was mostly a rhetorical question, but DG answered anyway.

"David, urmpha grraag blaapt, fucking durr sherpht nomra."

Okay, so most of what she was saying was blocked by the way her face was smushed by the cushion, but Wyatt had heard "David" and that was enough. Something that boy had done got DG upset enough to get falling down drunk.

As Wyatt sat on the coffee table and took off her shoes, he could hear DG singing something into the sofa. "Ah, ahhill urbide."

Wyatt spread a blanket over the drunk girl. "I'll see ya' in the morning, kid."

* * *

DG woke up to a mouthful of fuzz, literally.

"Good mornin', Sunshine!"

DG winced at the volume of Wyatt's voice. Why was he yelling at her? And why was he in her room?

DG cracked one eye open and saw Wyatt sitting on the coffee table. Well, that explained the room question.

"Why..." she croaked.

Wyatt held out a glass of water.

She took a long gulp and started over.

"Why am I on the sofa?"

Wyatt held out two aspirins, "You were to drunk to stand."

Ah!

DG swallowed the aspirin. "Why are you doing this?"

Wyatt took the empty glass from her hand. "'Cus I don't want to hear you bitch about your head hurting."

"No, I mean why are you doing this and not my mom?"

"Wow, that bad?" He chuckled.

"What?"

Wyatt looked at her for a minute. "Your parents have been planning this trip for three months."

Her parents twenty-fifth anniversary! They had gone to Wichita and DG had planned to spend the weekend with David. But then the ass had dumped her and she had ended up at Heather's house, where Heather's brother had brought them booze. And now Wyatt was being forced to deal with her hangover

Even though it hurt, DG laughed.

* * *

She was laughing; that's a good sign.

Wyatt put some bread in to toast, then grabbed two mugs from the cupboard.

"I'd never thought that brushing your teeth could feel so good." DG said as she sat down at the table.

Wyatt put a mug of coffee and the dry toast in front of her, then grabbed his own mug and sat down across from her.

"So, what happened last night?" he asked. "You tried to tell me, but your mouth was kind of full of sofa."

DG just shot him a look over the rim of her mug.

"Then you started to sing."

"Oh, God!" DG let her head fall to the table.

Was it bad that he was enjoying this? "The only thing I could make out was "David" and a bunch of swear words."

The table was much better at bouncing DG's words back to him then the sofa had been. "He dumped me."

Wyatt had guessed as much.

"I can't believe I slept with him!"

What! Wyatt couldn't believe she had slept with him either. She wasn't old enough to be doing that! She was only twenty. Twenty? Aw hell, she was two years older then Adora was when they got married. When had that happened?


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6

"Yeah, we're gonna need a good two, maybe three, more bundles to finish this." Hank said as he and Wyatt crawled over the farmhouse roof. "That ice build-up last winter did way more damage then I thought."

"You want me to go into town?" Wyatt asked.

"Nah, Em's getting out of work in an hour." Hank said as he made his way slowly to the ladder. "I'll pick her up, then we can swing by the lumber yard and get the shingles and the stuff for that new gardening shed she wants."

Wyatt nodded his head and followed the older man to solid ground. "I'll get started on ripping out the junk. I should be able to clear most of it by sunset. That way we can start going first thing."

Hank smiled. "Great, and just let DG know when you're hungry; she's kind of taken over the kitchen for some extra P.E. credit thing."

Wyatt started jogging toward the barn, "Will do!".

* * *

"_El circulo_ is another simple pattern that you can make from the Two-Step Walk. Just do a set of Strolls, pivoting always to the left after each step so that you circle back to the beginning of the pattern."

DG looked down at the paper footsteps on the floor.

"Stupid credit hours."

She turned the CD on and read over the instructions once more. "Notice the feeling the different patterns give. The Stroll lets you travel and feels smooth. The Chase feels more abrupt."

The music started to play and DG began to follow the footsteps on the floor.

* * *

Wyatt climbed down the ladder and started towards the rain barrel, but the sounds of an accordion reminded him about DG's project and curiosity got the better of him.

Wyatt climbed onto the porch and looked through the screen door; there was DG in jeans and tee-shirt, but with a pair of red heels trying to navigate the steps of some dance.

Wyatt was about to turn away when he saw DG jerk, then stumble. "Shit!"

"Havin' some trouble there, DG?"

"No, I'm fine." DG eased down to the floor and looked at her foot "It's my shoes that have the problem."

Wyatt glanced at the papers DG had spread out over the table, "Well, of course you fell over, kid." he said without thinking "You're trying to to tango without a partner."

As soon as the words left his mouth Wyatt knew he was in trouble. DG's head whipped up to look at him and Wyatt silently cursed his Aunt May.

"Wait, what?" DG sat on the floor sputtering. "You... Tango? How'd you... What?"

Wyatt sighed, "Take off the shoes before you break your ankle."

While DG kicked the heels off and tossed them into a corner Wyatt turned to the CD player and scanned through the tracks until he found one with a strong, slow tempo.

Wyatt closed his eyes and took a deep breath; it had been a long time since he had done this.

* * *

DG did think she had ever been through so many emotions in such a short time before. First there was the frustration at her self; the anger when her shoe got caught; embarrassment when she found out that Wyatt had seen the whole thing; and confusion at Wyatt's order to take off her shoes...

But right now, when he turned around from the counter and strutted (sauntered?) over to her, all of that was washed away by the biggest wave of lust she had ever felt. The man was still wearing his freaking toolbelt!

He slid his right hand on to her back and pulled her into his chest and DG nearly passed out.

"We're just gonna walk." Wyatt said, then slowly smiled. "Step back on your right."

And then they were walking - back and forth, side to side - and suddenly everything DG had been reading earlier about smooth, flowing movements made sense, 'cus, really, all she wanted to do right now was just melt into Wyatt's embrace.

* * *

_Alright, who the hell was that in the kitchen? No way it was DG. DG who picks I up after work and tease while we worked on her bike and..._

_How long has _those_ been hiding under her shirt?_

_All soft and firm and..._

_STOP IT!_

_This is_ DG. _The daughter of family you've been working for for the last seven years. She was just a kid you first met. She was fourteen, a child!_

_But that was no child who had slid her knee up your leg._

_She's what? Twenty-one? Twenty-one isn't a child._

_Oh, god. Not a child, not a kid. Nope._

_A women._

"DG."

_Oh, god. That should **not** sound so..._

_Crap! It sounds sexy. It shouldn't sound _sexy.

_Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!_

_Okay, breath, breath. This isn't such a big deal. It's been seven years since you've really been close to a woman. It's just hormones. It's not you'd ever really want to lick that spot right between her..._

"Crap."

_Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!_


	7. Chapter 7

Part 7

For days, soft, wet snow had been falling. It not only blanketed the world, but the air itself seemed quieter... except for inside the barn.

"Oh, come on, Wyatt."

"No."

D.G. had finally cornered Wyatt as he was doing the evening chores.

"Please..."

"No."

She knew she could break him, it would just take time.

"You might actually have fun."

"No."

But time was running out.

"Why not?"

"Why should I?"

Oh my God, an answer!

"Because you're the only reason I passed the damn class!"

Wyatt sighed and D.G. knew the battle was half-won.

"And I just found out I'm the only one not bringing someone."

How's that for big guns?!

"You're not gonna try to get me into a tux are you?"

* * *

Life was great. Just freaking peachy.

The whole thing had started as a night out for the ballroom class; find some place where they could show off the moves that they had been working on as they rang in the new year. Then someone asked if a boyfriend could be brought, since there were less guys. That somehow morphed into everyone but DG bringing a date, which lead to her having to beg Wyatt into a pity date.

Okay, as pity dates went, hers looked surprisingly hot in a suit. But, still...

And now, on top of everything else, David was there.

"Well, well, well... If it isn't Miss D.G. Roberts."

D.G. took a deep breath before she answered: "What do you want, David."

"Want?" David took a half-step back. "It's been nearly a year since I saw you. All I want is to tell you how good you look."

The look he was giving her - well, her breasts - made her want to slap him

"If you looked this good last year, I never would have dumped you."

D.G. took a sip of her drink. "If I looked this good last year, I never would have gone out with you." The rest of the drink, she tossed in David's face before walking away.

"That's a waste of good booze, kid," Wyatt said as she sat down.

D.G. picked up Wyatt's glass. "Well, it was either that or slap him, and I painted my nails today."

"You wanna get out of here?" Wyatt asked as he looked at his now-empty glass.

"Well..."

Wyatt sighed. "Oh God. You want me to dance, don't you?"

* * *

The night had just taken an amazing turn for the better. Granted, it did come at the expense of D.G. feeling horrible, but still... Wyatt was back in his room, in sweats, just after ten.

"Old-school pirates or cowboys in space?"

Wyatt looked over the two movies D.G. was holding up; the exchange for getting out of the dinner dance from Hell was an evening of movies and ice cream. Lots of ice cream.

"Which one will have the fewest comments?" he asked.

D.G. thought about it for a second. "The amount would be the same, but with The Black Swan, it would be more me bitching about what a whiner Maureen O'Hara is were as, with Serenity, it would be more about Mal's pants and Jayne's arms. Oh! And Simon's... Yeah, know what?"

Wyatt groaned. "We're watching Serenity?"

* * *

This was so much better. Simon would never say something so cruel. Hell, even Jayne wouldn't say what David had said!

Plus there was chocolate ice cream and ice cream always makes things better.

"You were awesome tonight Wyatt."

And that big glass of wine might have helped things along some.

"Really, you were just cool and there for me, and you even went along with my half-baked idea about me flaunting what David couldn't have any more." D.G. put her empty bowl on the floor. "You are like this awesome... white knight, big brother, person." She stretched out on the sofa and propped her head on Wyatt's thigh, "Yeah, big brother Wyatt, ready to save the day."

* * *

Crap, Book was right: There was a Special Hell and Wyatt was in it right now.

Wyatt groaned to himself. Big brother Wyatt. If she moved the hand that was under her head just a few inches to the left, she might find out just how big and un-brotherly Wyatt really was. It wasn't like he had really been wanting this, but she had been doing this thing with her foot along his calf as she ate her ice cream and, now, the whole absent-minded rubbing of his thigh really wasn't helping matters.

"Oh, turn the channel," DG poked him in the side. "It's almost time for the ball to drop!"

Wyatt grumbled as he reached for the remote. DG sat up and poured out two glasses of soda. "Eight! Seven! Six!" D.G. yelled along with the TV. "Five! Four! Three! Two! One! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

He watched as D.G. up-ended her glass. "Happy New Year, D.G."

Wyatt nearly died when, suddenly, D.G.'s hand was back on his thigh. "Happy New Year, Wyatt!"

Oh, so that's what kissing D.G. would be like. Yeah, definitely the Special Hell.


	8. Chapter 8

Part 8

Hank watched as D.G. and Wyatt turned out of the driveway and onto the road.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Em?" he asked.

"Oh please. They have been working on that thing for years. It is now well and truly done, new paint job and everything. It's only right that they take it out."

Hank shook his head. "Well, I was thinking more about... the other thing."

Emily looked at him. "We've talked about this. He's a good man, that's why we agreed to take him in."

"I know that." Hank said. "You told me about him reciting the Tin Man directives in his sleep when he was in the hospital."

Emily chuckled.

"But I just don't know about this new idea of yours, Em."

"I just saw what was there, Hank." Emily stepped closer to her mate "They're crazy for each other. And, if she ever does have to go back to the O.Z., then who better to be at her side then a Tin Man?"

Hank slipped an arm around Emily's waist.

"And anyway," Emily continued "He's a thousand times better then that David."

Hank laughed.

It was a perfect early summer day. The sky was blue, the birds were singing, Wyatt was kissing her...

"Wow."

"Yeah."

D.G. took a deep breath and snuck a quick look at Wyatt, who looked totally gob-smacked.

"What just happened?" she asked.

The gob-smacked look was replaced by a look of horror. "Oh, God! D.G.! If you didn't..."

D.G. quickly put her hand over his mouth. "I've wanted to kiss you for a long time."

Wyatt's eyes softened at her confession. "So have I, wanted to kiss you."

"So..." D.G. leaned back on her elbows "If I want to kiss you and you want to kiss me – and we both agree that kissing each other is really... really. Well, then why are we talking?"

Wyatt whistled as he finished the morning chores; the last two months had been amazing. Granted ,there had been a little awkwardness right at the beginning (Hank hadn't talked to him for three days) but everything smoothed out.

"Wyatt, you all most done?" Emily called "If we don't leave soon, we'll miss the parade!"

The town's Fourth of July parade was the stuff of legends. Every year that Wyatt had been with the Roberts they had gone. After the parade there would be barbecued chicken for dinner, bought at the fire house, and all kinds of game booths and rides spread out over the town green to keep everyone occupied until dark when the fireworks would start.

Wyatt didn't even wait for Hank to put the car into park before he jumped out. The diner was always crazy on the Fourth and all the wait staff was called in. So last night D.G. had give Wyatt one task, get her a hot fried dough with a mountain of powdered sugar on the side.

Half an hour later Wyatt walked into the diner with his hard-won prize.

"I got your hot, sugary, grease." he said after he tracked D.G. down in the kitchen.

"Oh my God, Wyatt, I love you!" D.G. pulled the fried dough from his hand and started wolfing it down.

_I love you._

She was being dramatic, but still... Hearing those words had made Wyatt's heart stop for a second.

"... and since Todd has to keep his foot elevated he's going to watch the kids, so Tammy'll be able to work the evening shift."

D.G. licked the sugar off her fingers and Wyatt's heart sped up.

"So, you'll be free this evening?"

"Yeah." D.G. smiled brightly "We can watch the fireworks."

D.G. unbuckled her seatbelt and stretched. Mom and Pop had decided to stay home so rather than battle with the crowd on the town green, she and Wyatt had taken the truck up to the bluff overlooking the town.

She shifted again and her back popped three times, rather loudly.

"Ouch!" Wyatt said at the sound "I can't believe that you still wanted to come out after the day you had."

"Oh, I'm fine. It's not that – ah!" D.G. gasped as Wyatt's hand found the knot at the base of her neck. "That is amazing." D.G.'s eyes fluttered shut as Wyatt worked the knots from her neck and shoulders.

Her eyes popped open when Wyatt's hands started down her back. When had that spot become an erogenous zone?

This was torture. Wyatt was being amazingly sweet, trying to get rid of the tension in her muscles. But at the same time he was filling her with tension of a competently different kind.

"Wyatt?"

"Mm hmm?"

"The... um... fireworks?" D.G. cursed the quake in her voice.

"Should be starting in a few minutes." he said softly into her ear and that just wasn't playing fair. Especially when his hand moved from firmly rubbing her back to trailing softly up and down her side.

"Wyatt." Well, the quake was gone, but now she was all breathy.

"You said something today that I keep thinking about." His hand moved to cover her stomach. "I love you, D.G."

_Oh my God!_

D.G. turned to face him, "Wyatt," She shifted so she was straddling his lap "Just remember who said it first."

Wyatt smiled his rare, full-teeth smile. "Yes, ma'am!"

The sun was just starting to rise when Wyatt woke up and the soft rays managed to give D.G. even more of a glow then she normally had.

"Storm. Cave, no."

Wyatt felt his forehead crease, she must be having that dream again.

"D.G." He kissed her shoulder. "Wake up, D.G."

D.G.'s body went rigid and her eyes opened. After a moment she relaxed and Wyatt pulled her closer to him.

"Same dream?" he asked after his kissed her.

"Same dream." she replied

"Do you want your sketch pad?"

"Why bother." D.G. sighed "I've been drawing scenes from the dream for the last three weeks. My room is covered with them."

"Is that why you've been sleeping in my room?" Wyatt asked with a chuckle.

"Of course." D.G. said with a smirk "There's also the fact that sleeping in your room means I can do this whenever I want." She reached her hand out and ran it along his butt.

"Yeah, well as much as I love to let you have your way we both have work to do."

D.G. stuck out her lower lip. "I don't wanna go to work."

"Well stay here then, but I've got to get out to the field." Wyatt stood up and grabbed his pants "A storm's coming, I can feel it."


	9. Chapter 9

Part 9

D.G. had disconnected from the thoughts that were racing through her head: two suns, turkey men, headcases, Longcoats, missing parents; everything around her had just become a faint background hum, but the sound of a woman screaming cut through the fog.

"Those guys are everywhere."

D.G. picked up a hefty-looking stick and ran toward the house. All the worry, anger and rage she had been holding in came flooding out as she swung at the Longcoat.

When the Longcoat and the rest of the scene melted away, she almost started to cry.

"This world is so fucked up."

"No, it's a TDESHTL," Glitch said. "I think I invented it."

"But why is it still playing?" D.G. asked.

Glitch's eyes locked with hers for a heartbeat then turned his head to look over the rundown yard. D.G. did the same and felt her stomach turn over at the sight of the body-shaped suit; she had lucked out with Glitch. What if this wasn't so harmless?

"It's still playing to keep people away."

D.G. froze at the voice and the click of a gun.

"Turn around slowly."

D.G. took a deep breath and faced the man point the gun at her. Slight build; sandy hair; hard ,blue eyes; not a Longcoat; big gun.

"Most people stay away from Longcoats," he said. "But you came running in here, why?

"The Longcoats are chasing my parents," D.G. answered. "I heard the yelling and thought..."

"Well, then..." The gun was lowered. "Why don't you come in and tell me more."

___________________________________________________________________________________

They had been walking for over an hour before Hunter gave in to Glitch's requests for a break.

"You're awfully quiet." Hunter said as he passed a canteen to D.G.

"It's just..." D.G. started

"Just what?" Hunter asked "I know you can talk: you sure talked up a storm at the cabin."

"Yeah, it's silly but..." D.G. took a deep breath before going on. "The recording."

"What about it?"

"It really happened, didn't it?" D.G. asked softly

"Yeah," Hunter replied just as softly "You saw the suit in the yard?"

D.G. nodded.

"The man was part of the resistance. The Longcoats found out and came to his house. The put him in the suit, set the recording to loop and took his wife and child away."

"Oh, my god!" This sound caused Raw to move over and join them.

"It was six months before the Longcoats stopped patrolling the house; six months before we could get him out." Hunter continued on with the story: "Somehow, he was still sane; or so I was told. This happened before my time. Anyway, he got out of the suit and, a few months later, lead an assassination attempt on Azkadella. He nearly did it, but she moved right as he pulled the trigger. It ended up being just a flesh wound for her and he was never heard of again."

"Wow." D.G. didn't really know what to say to that story.

"Yeah, it was a year or so later that the resistance started to use the cabin as a safe house. The locals had kept away, and the recording had been left to play. It ended up being a perfect cover."

"I need to wash my socks," Glitch said. "These babies are ready to walk by themselves."

"Good," Hunter replied. "Maybe if we can put you on auto-pilot, you wouldn't ask for so many stops."

"What is that?" D.G. pointed at the stone marker Glitch was resting against.

"It's just a road maker," Hunter answered. "From the days when the old road was a major highway."

"Old road?" D.G. felt a wave of coldness race over her body. "All of life's answers can be found along the old road."

Hunter looked shocked. "I thought you said that you'd never been here before."

"I haven't," D.G. said. "But, somehow... I know this place."

She took off running, a sudden hunch pushing her body into motion.

WELCOME TO MILLTOWN

"My parents are from here?"

___________________________________________________________________________________

He didn't have the time for this. He had to get the newest info the Eastern Guild had gathered back to the fighters in the south before the eclipse.

But the girl...

There was something about her. She was the first person in seven annuals who had tried to help the poor family that was being ripped apart.

Had been ripped apart.

That was always the hardest part of staying at the cabin, having that scene play out time after time and knowing that there was nothing he could do.

But the girl...

D.G. sat down with a thump.

"I'm from here? And now I have to go off on some kind of quest to find my real mother?"

Emily sat next to her and wrapped an arm around D.G.'s shoulders.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie."

"And you can't come with me?"

Hank shook his head. "I'm so sorry baby-girl, but the Witch outlawed mechanicals a while ago. If we left this town and someone found out what we are, we could be taken for spare parts."

D.G. shuddered.

"We thought that Wyatt would have..." Emily started to speak.

"Wyatt?" D.G.'s head snapped up. "What could he have done?"

"Do you remember how he ended up with us sweetie?" Emily asked.

"You met him at the hospital. He had been caught in a..." D.G.'s voice trailed off.

"Storm," Emily finished for her. "When Sheriff Gulch first found him, Wyatt was talking about traveling in the storm, being punished by a witch for being a Tin Man."

"Wait." D.G. stood up and walked several steps before turning to look at her parents. "Wyatt is from here?"

___________________________________________________________________________________

Raw was looking out at edges of the papay field, just barely viable from the hilltop. Next to him, Glitch was lying on the grass, chattering away. Raw let him chatter because it was comforting.

It was his fault.

His fault that the tribe had traveled so close to the Longcoats. His fault that Kalm had been captured. His fault that the tribe left him for the papay.

Poor Kalm. He was just a cub, not yet trained. When the Longcoats found out, they would no longer need him, would kill him.

That would be his fault too.

"Hey, isn't that the guy who was chasing us?" Glitch asked.

Raw looked to where Glitch was pointing.

"Yeah it is," Glitch said lazily, then sat up quickly. "Oh no!"


	10. Chapter 10

Part 10

It was all going wrong. The Mystic Man couldn't remember anything, he was just rambling. "A woman, women are great!"

"My mother?" D.G. prompted him.

"Who?"

"My mother." she repeated.

"Who's mother?"

"My mother!" she said once again.

"Who's mother?"

CRACK!

D.G. pulled back in horror; she had just slapped that poor man! "I'm sorry!"

She felt a strange tingling on her right hand, but then the Mystic Man grabbed it and pulled it to him. "You have the most brilliant, beautiful, blue eyes. But, your mother, your mother had lavender."

D.G. felt like she had was the one that had been slapped, "You do remember?"

Behind her, Glitch was making a hissing noise and Hunter went to investigate.

"The Northern Island. Your journey for her, to find who you are, starts there."

"The Northern Island." D.G. repeated.

The Mystic Man grabbed her wrist, "Let this guide you."

D.G. nodded as Hunter ran to the window and opened it. "You three, get him out of here."

"No, no, no." The Mystic Man fought back. "You know who she is, she's the key." He put a hand to Hunter's chest "The others must know. You have to tell them to keep her safe."

"You have my word." Hunter replied.

"What was that about?" D.G. asked "Where is he?"

"He's buying us time." Hunter replied "We'd better not waste it."

"The Northern Island." D.G. said "We need to go to the Northern Island."

"Are you sure about that?" Hunter asked. "I didn't think that anyone had been there in ages."

"That's where we'll find my mother." D.G. replied firmly.

"Then you're gonna need a truck. And I just happened to know where one is parked."

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea, kid?" DeMilo asked "Sending them off to the great frozen north by themselves?"

"There's no other choice, I should have been in the Southlands days ago." Hunter pulled up the hood of his cloak "But I have a feeling that this won't be the last we see of her."

"Yeah, but I bet it'll be the last we see of my truck."


	11. Chapter 11

Part 11

Wyatt was right, a storm had come. In the space of ten minutes the sky had gone black, so Wyatt left the table to close up the barn.

"There's a light in here."

Wyatt dropped into a crouch. Who the hell was in the barn?

"I don't see anyone, maybe they just forgot to shut it off."

Wyatt peered around the corner of the supply closet door and felt his blood run cold – Longcoats!

Quietly, he took a shovel off the rack. These bastards wouldn't be taking him again.

One of the 'coats had already left the barn, so Wyatt had no trouble dealing with the one pocketing things off the work bench.

As he ran towards the house Wyatt got the shock of his life. The Roberts were on the porch roof and it looked like there was a group of Longcoats after them. Before he could take a step, Wyatt saw Emily push D.G. off the roof and into the swirling cloud. Hank put an arm around Emily's waist and then they too were gone. Wyatt stood frozen; no, not D.G., not again. An idea sprang into his head and he slipped back into the barn.

Wyatt's luck held as he reached the other side of the storm. Once the squad leader saw D.G., Hank and Emily jump into the storm, he had ordered everyone to get back as fast as they could. By the time Wyatt had changed clothes with the unconscious Longcoat in the barn most of the men had gone. Wyatt slipped through and quickly looked around for a hint of where he was.

Hearing shouts and weeping, Wyatt ran to discover a group of 'coats leveling a Guild village.

"You there!" Wyatt turned to face the man yelling at him and saluted smartly. "Prisoner march."

"Yes, sir!" Wyatt said and hustled over to the line of Munchkins who had been roped together.

As they neared the castle, Wyatt began to plan. He would need to slip away before anyone asked him a question about his background. The first prisoners were being untied and sent into the main holding cell; now was his chance to hang to the back and make his way through the yard.

"Every man here, on to a transport. NOW!"

There was a rush as men jumped to their feet and quickly formed up by a line of trucks.

Maybe Wyatt's luck wasn't so good.

"Did you hear? Lonot's dead."

Wyatt tried not to look too interested at the news.

"No shit!" the man next to him called out. "How did he go?" asked another from the back of the truck.

"Pissed off the Sorceress one to many times is how I heard it." the man who made the announcement answered. "So now Zero's in command."

"No wonder we're freezing our asses off." someone replied "Zero would do anything the Witch said."

"I hear that when she fucks him, he's the bitch." A round of bawdy laughing broke out.

It had all gone to hell once Wyatt was inside the Northern Palace.

The order had been for the men in Wyatt's transport to wait in the main hall while Zero took his team to the upper levels. Five minutes later there was yelling and shooting. The next thing Wyatt knew D.G. was running past him, but before he could get to her a flock of Mobats grabbed her. Wyatt moved towards the door, hoping that he might get to her, but the commander from the truck stopped him.

"There's one more of this band missing. You five stay here and find him." The commander tossed a set of keys to Wyatt "Get back to base ASAP."

"Yes sir!" Wyatt and the others saluted.

Wyatt was happy to discover that the other men were big fans of doing as little work as they could. "This is the only way out, unless he's gonna dive out a window and into the ice." So they set up by the door and waited.

It was about two hours later that Wyatt saw a shadow moving among the pillars. He quietly stood up and moved away from the group, circling around to where he had seen the shadow.

A dark-haired man was crouched next to a pillar when Wyatt found him. "Don't make a sound." Wyatt said as he pushed his gun into the man's back. The man stiffened. "I'm a friend of D.G.'s." Wyatt lowered his gun "The name's Wyatt."

"Glitch." came the whispered replied.

"Glad to meet you, Glitch." Wyatt held out his hand. "Now let's see what we can do about getting to D.G."


	12. Chapter 12

Part 12

DG disconnected from the thoughts that were racing through her head: She was a princess, her sister had killed her and her memories were wrapped in magic so strong it had killed that poor Viewer.

Now, Raw was captured, Glitch was missing and the Mystic Man was dead; all trying to protect her.

"Woof!"

A small, ragged-looking dog was outside the cell... near the levers for the doors!

DG scooped up a small bit of food and tossed it at the levers. The dog ran over, put his paw on one and the door to her cell rolled open.

"Good boy!" She scratched the dog's head. "Now, let's go get Raw."

* * *

This place was a maze - halls that went in circles, stairs that took you into rooms but not the whole floor – and, if it hadn't been for the dog, she and Raw would have been stuck in there forever.

"Longcoats."

DG ducked into the alcove with Raw. Her back knocked into a rack of tools and an idea formed in her head. She grabbed one of the larger wrenches and, when the two Longcoats passed, she swung for the closest one.

"Careful! You could bust a zipper doing that!" the man on the floor said.

"Glitch!" She and Raw rushed over to help him up.

"Hey there, princess."

DG spun around to look at the other man. "Wyatt?"

"Did you miss me?"

"Wyatt, you're here!" DG jumped in to Wyatt's arms. "How did you get here?"

"The same way you did, sweetheart. I just got put down in a different spot."

The moment was broken by a sharp bark from the dog who'd helped DG out of her cell.

"He's right," DG said, "we should get out of here."

"You're taking directions from a dog?" Wyatt asked in disbelief.

* * *

The Sorceress's tower still cast its shadow over the small group when they finally stopped to rest. As Glitch and Wyatt changed out of their disguises, DG studied the distant tower, "That machine we escaped through, the Mystic Man said that the Sorceress is going to use it to destroy the Outer Zone." DG let out a deep sigh. "That's why she wants the emerald."

"That's interesting," Glitch said. "How would the gem fit with what we saw? Maybe if it was..." The rest of his musing was cut off by Raw placing one hand on his shoulder and pointing at the dog. "Look."

Everyone turned their attention just in time to see the small, grungy dog explode in to a very large, grungy man.

Wyatt pulled out his gun. "Who are... what are you?"

The man held out his hands. "Easy there. I was sent by her mother to help you."

"My mother?" DG said in a questioning tone. "My mother is in prison. She can't talk to any one."

"She came to me in a dream," the man said. "Here."

He slowly put a hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a small doll in a green dress.

"Hey, that was mine!" DG exclaimed.

"I know." The man held the doll out and she began to rise in the air, spinning faster and faster. The doll drifted across the clearing to DG, who asked: "Am I doing that?"

"It was the first bit of magic I taught you," he replied with a grin.

"Toto!" DG cried out as she grasped the doll. "You were our tutor."

"Great," Wyatt said, "that tells us who you are, but not what. And it certainly doesn't mean we should trust you."

"Whoa there, Mister Suspicious," Glitch exclaimed as he stepped between Wyatt and Toto. "This is the man, dog... thingy," his voice dropped to a stage whisper on the last word.

"Shape shifter," Raw supplied.

"That's correct, Mr. Raw," Toto said.

"You know his name." Glitch turned his glare of accusation to focus on the shape shifter. "How did you know his name?"

The three of you are very famous, Mr. Glitch." From another pocket, he brought out a wanted posted that displayed the likenesses of DG, Glitch and Raw.

"That's a terrible picture of me," Glitch said with a huff. He huffed even louder for a second time when Raw and Wyatt let out a murmer of agreement.

"Look, we can use all the help we can get," DG said to them.

"And I may be the only one left who can help you unlock your memories. And I am definitely the only one willing to cross the witch to do it," Toto said.

DG stared at Wyatt defiantly as she said: "It's settled. Now, we need to head south."

* * *

The high-vaulted hallway rang with the echo of quick, hard foot falls. It had not been a good day for Zero: the Emerald of the Eclipse still had not been found; there was a huge influx of new recruits who needed to be trained in preparation of the eclipse; the long-thought dead princess had escaped; and, now, he was being called before the sorceress.

"At last, our brave General joins us," Azkadellia said without bothering to turn to look at him. "I have something to show you, Zero."

At the wave of her hand, Vy-sor rushed to put a small disk into the player. The water bubbled madly for a moment and then slowed to show a small forest clearing. Standing in the middle of the clearing were the three fugitives and...

"Wyatt Cain!"

"I thought you might recognize him," the Sorceress said.

"Didn't we push him in to a travel storm?" he asked.

"Yes, we did." Azkadellia finally turned to look at him. "But the Cain men have a maddening way of turning up at just the wrong time."

"I'll have my men ready to ride out within the hour," Zero said swiftly. "I will find him."

"No."

Zero was confused. "What? You are just going to let them--"

"Lead us right to the Emerald," Azkadellia cut in, stopping his rant mid-word. Understanding dawned on him.

"You have a spy in their group." Zero smirked in appreciation.

"So," Azkadellia lightly ran her fore finger over his chest, "Do you think you can handle a little... restraint?"


	13. Chapter 13

The morning had passed quietly; Lorain had made breakfast while Ralf and the children had done the morning chores. After the meal Ralf had gone off the check the trap lines while Lorain had set the children down for some schooling. Wills was memorizing spelling words with his frog and she was helping Ella work out some math problems when the alert bell went off.

_Looks like them Longcoats down on the crack decided to pay us a visit after all,_ Lorain thought.

The children quickly hid in the spot under the stairs while Lorain grabbed her gun and slipped out the back door. As she moved around the house, she heard a rifle cock and her husband call out in a steady voice, "State your business."

"We mean you no harm. We are travelers of the realms," came the reply

Lorain stepped around the corner and took in the group. Longcoats they were not. Four of them looked mostly harmless, but her life in the Resistance had taught her that looks almost always were deceiving. Besides, the fifth member of the group, the one doing all the talking, wore a gun and looked far from harmless.

"May your hearth be warm," he said.

"And your smoke be blue," Ralf replied.

Well, that was it then. Ralf would never send away a fellow Vink, no matter if they didn't wear the kilt or what kind of an odd group they had in tow. She would just have to be the watchful one.

* * *

________________________________________________________________________________________________

The time to leave had come. It was full dark and there would be an hour before the first moon started its rise.

Wyatt glanced around the cabin; everyone was ready to move except DG. She stood off by herself, just staring in to nothing.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" he asked her softly.

"It's a lot to take in," DG answered, her voice not more then a whisper. Wyatt noticed a tear rolling down her cheek, so he reached out and pulled her close to him.

"I'm confused and scared and disappointed in myself," DG said.

"Hey, you have got nothing to be disappointed in." Wyatt pressed a kiss to her head. "You're handling the OZ much better then I first handled Kansas."

"But my mother used her power to bring me back to life and that's how the Sorceress was able to take over," DG said with a sniff.

"There are things in life we just can't control." Wyatt thought for a second, "Even with all her power, the Queen still may have been beaten." Wyatt pushed DG's chin up so he could see her face, "And I have to admit, I'm awfully glad you are alive."

* * *

________________________________________________________________________________________________

The southern forest always gave Zek the creeps. Between the Realm of the Unwanted, the caves of the Ancients and the stories of the ghosts of long-dead rulers, the trees that threw fruit at them were the easiest thing to handle. But, all in all, he would rather be facing down a unit of Longcoats then riding the southern trail.

A shrill, high cry pierced the air and Zek's horse – and Zek – jumped slightly.

"Are you all right there, Zek?" his captain asked.

Before he could shrug off the question, another cry screamed out.

"I'm fine, Cap. But ,was that..." Zek watched as the Captain took off for the edge of the woods.

When Zek caught up with him, the Captain had his field glasses out and was scanning the sky.

"Mobats," he said. "I've counted six, and they seem madder then I've ever seen 'em."

A feeling of dread washed over Zek. "What do we do?" he asked.

"Four of them are circling over the great meadow." The captain lowered his glasses, "I think it's time for us to head underground."


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: If anyone is still reading this; I am so sorry for the massive wait. For some reason I had this marked off as being fully upload here.

* * *

The Realm of the Unwanted really was a place unlike no other in the Zones. About seventy annuals ago, the Outer Zones had been rocked by storms for nearly a month. When the skies finally cleared, there were two-hundred Indo-Asian refugees scattered across the land. At the time, the Outer Zone had been at war and a rumor was passed that they were really spies. More then fifty had died before the crown could intervene. The Realm was set up for the remaining people as a haven.

No right-thinking person had disagreed when the remaining refugees had forbidden OZ police and Army entrance. But, then, as the cut-throats and black market dealers started to move in, the honest folk moved out.

Nowadays, the Realm retained strong influences of its exotic and foreign beginnings - rick-shaws in the streets, belly dancers entertaining a crowd, signs written in strange characters – but it was also the place to go if you had dealings that could get you in to major trouble top-side.

The place Hunter always started when he visited the Realm of the Unwanted was Bulba's Tavern. Information was the key commodity in the Realm and most of it passed through Bulba's.

"Are you sure I'll be safe here, Captain?" Zek asked him.

Hunter laughed softly at the young resistance fighter. "Safer than you would be out there," he answered. "Just be sure to keep a clear head and open ears."

Leaving Zek to his eavesdropping, Hunter went out in to the bustle of the Realm. The woman who ran the fighting ring was always a good source of information and she was sympathetic to the cause... well, she was sympathetic to him.

A few hours later, Hunter returned to Bulba's and was glad to see that Zek was still in one piece – which was good – and had developed the look of a local – which was even better.

"Anaka's was a bust," he said before taking a long gulp of Zek's drink. "She's got a boxer she's currently, um, promoting, so she wouldn't even give me the time of day." Hunter sighed, "Tell me you heard something."

Zek smiled as he pushed a sheet of paper across the table. Hunter unfolded it to see not only DG's picture, but Glitch and Raw's, as well.

"Some man call the Seeker has a meeting with them here," Zek reported.

This was mixed news for Hunter. No one really knew where the Seeker's true purpose lay. He did pass information to the Resistance, but he had also gained his name by seeking out anyone connected to the royal family – and once the Seeker found them, they were never heard of again.

"When is this meeting taking place?" he asked.

Zek coughed lightly and jerked his chin towards the bar. Hunter shifted in his seat just enough to see the three misfits he had smuggled into and out of Central City. There was also a tall man, wearing a dark-colored coat, a hat pulled low and a gun at his hip. It looked like they had found a new protector, Hunter thought.

Facing this motley group was the Seeker and... "Of course," Hunter nearly spat the words, "Air of Day would be in the middle of something like this."

"Who is Air of Day?" Zek asked.

"A drop-dead gorgeous, double-crossing, bitch," he answered without taking his eyes off the meeting, "Get ready for some action."

Hunter undid the strap on his gun holster while Zek slowly pulled a pair of knives out of his boots. The Seeker's cry of "We had a deal!" sent them into motion against Air of Day's men.

Hunter knocked one out with the butt of his gun, then kicked a second man in the stomach before the lights went out.

The sudden darkness caused the fighters to pause for a moment while their eyes adjusted, which gave Hunter enough time to spot Air of Day trying to cut through a support rope for the ceiling net.

DG's scream cut through the dark and prompted Hunter to put his gun to Air of Day's head. "I'd drop that knife if I were you."

"Hunter?" The knife clattered as it hit the floor, "What brings you back to the Realm?"

Ignoring her question, he calmly said, "Call off your men," and cocked his gun.

He heard the edge of fear in her voice as she called out to her goons that the fight was over.

"Zek, you alright?" he asked as he tied Air of Day's hands behind her back. After all, those nails were lethal.

"Right as rain, Captain," came the reply.

"Glitch? Raw?" he called as he made his way over to the breaker box and flipped the switch, restoring the lights. Hunter then turned to survey the aftermath.

Raw and Zek were standing by three men, keeping them in check with Zek's knives and Raw's claws; the two men who Hunter had taken out were laying on the floor, along with two others, by Glitch, and the last goon was staring down the barrel of a gun held by – Wyatt Cain?

"Hunter!" Glitch called out happily, "Boy, did you show up in the nick of time."

Hunter holstered his gun. "Zek, here, heard that you were coming. I thought I had better say hello."

"DG's gone," Raw said, "Seeker took her. Toto gone, too."

"Then we had best be after her," Wyatt said. "Thank you for your help, Mister...?"

"It has been a few annuals," Hunter said softly.

"Excuse me?" Wyatt asked.

Hunter took a deep breath and stuck out his hand. "Cain. Jeb Cain."


	15. Chapter 15

Toto followed DG and the Seeker for nearly an hour before he came to a dead end. He had seen the Seeker carry DG through a door, but it was now as solid as stone, so Toto turned to his nose.

There were so many strong, conflicting scents in the Realm that threatened to overwhelm Toto's nose, but magic had a scent that Toto had spent years learning, and it wouldn't fall him now. He found a nearby vent opening to the topside and wriggled up. Once in the free air, Toto breathed deeply. There, the sent of magic called to him and Toto took off at his top speed.

He found an odd-looking wood pile that just reeked of magic, both light and dark. DG had been here, but so had Azkadellia and her men. DG's scent led him down to the lakeshore, where it was joined by the smell of gas. Toto closed his eyes and sought to find that combination of magic and gas. It had taken to the air. But how? There was only one man Toto had even known who was a master of air travel. The man the Seeker was supposed to lead them to - Ahamo.

* * *

The ride through the southern forest was the strangest hour Wyatt had ever spent. Wyatt had wanted to go after the Seeker, but Jeb's quietly-forceful words had stopped him. "The Seeker knows the Realm better then any of us. Even a ten minute head start will have given him enough time to completely disappear."

At the start of the ride, Jeb explained that his part of the Resistance had been tasked with watching the Longcoat activity between the Witch's Tower, Finaqua and the Forest. "There's some sort of magic force in this part. The Witch has had whole companies of men combing these woods for annuals."

That was an hour ago, and there had been no more then a dozen words said since then - not counting Glitch and Raw chatting away. But, there had been no time to talk. Jeb and his man, Zek, rode at the head of the group, Raw and Glitch in the middle, and Wyatt rode lookout in the rear.

Jeb and Zek pulled their horses up, and the other men followed suit. After a minute, four resistance fighters slipped out from behind the trees.

"Hunter, you're late," one said.

"Sorry, but we took a short visit to the Realm of the Unwanted," Jeb replied. "We managed to pick up some rather interesting information about the Witch's plans."

"So did we," the fighter said with a smirk. "You'll never guess who we found waltzing through the woods."

* * *

The scent of magic and gas lead Toto around two lakes before showing him what he had been hoping for: Ahamo's hot air balloon. There had been so many warm, summer days at Finaqua that Toto had spent watching that balloon float overhead. Other Side magic, he had called it. An amusing use of science, Ambrose had replied.

Toto followed the scent of DG's magic into the woods and up to a strange door.

In the clearing before the door, Toto could smell not only DG and the Seeker, who Toto now believed was Ahamo, but also Azkadellia. Azkadellia and Ahamo's scents mixed with the smell of men and horses before going back into the woods, but DG's scent went back to the door.

The magic that was surrounding the door wasn't just DG's, but had the scent of age. This door had been made by someone a long time ago, and had been added to by several strong magic users over the years.

A soft cry reached his ears from behind the door. There was no way for him to get in there but, behind that door, DG was in trouble and he wasn't going to let her down.

Toto turned away from the door and ran off. As he passed the first lake, he had passed over a trail and caught the scent of Raw, Glitch and Wyatt. Now, to see if he could catch up to them in time.

* * *

His boy was smart, Wyatt had to give him that. The stunt he pulled with Zero and the spoons was nothing short of brilliant. Adora had been like that. Was like that? Gods, if Jeb was alive, then was Adora?

Jeb stepped out from the tent where he had been talking with his seconds. "We're going to have to move out soon," he said. "Azkadellia's plan must be stopped."

"Absolutely," Wyatt agreed.

"I know that you're worried about DG, I'm sure you're thinking that we should have gone after her," Jeb said, but Wyatt cut him off.

"If we want the time to find her, then we need to stop the Witch, first. That's only logical."

"Then, why are you..." Jeb trailed off as he saw just what it was his father had been staring at. "I keep it to remind me," he offered, as an explanation for the tin suit's presents in the camp.

"I thought you were dead. The recording they played, it..." Wyatt's breath caught. "For six months, I was stuck in that suit, watching it over and over."

Jeb put a hand on his shoulder as an offer of comfort. "They told mother and I that, after you had been executed." Jeb let his hand fall back to his side, "For months, I wondered if we hadn't told the Resistance about the suit, if you would still have been alive," he confessed.

"I haven't even asked..." Wyatt began, but didn't know how to continue.

"She died an annual ago," Jeb answered Wyatt's unasked question. "She had been working with the underground in Central City; she'd help pass along fighters, supplies and information." Jeb smiled widely, "For the last four annuals, her cover was as a Madam in the Sin District."

Wyatt head snapped around in disbelief.

"My hand to the winds," Jeb said. "All the girls in the house were with the Resistance and volunteered for the job. They ran discounted rates for Longcoats for months and no one ever caught on." Wyatt tried to picture Adora as a Sin Square Madam and, after a moment, he could see it. The mental picture made him laugh out loud and he was happy to hear Jeb join in.

"Oh, that's just like Adora to plunge in and help out however she had to," Wyatt said. "There was one time I brought up the idea of the two of you getting out of the Outer Zones until the war was over." Wyatt smiled again at the memory. "She slapped me and said if I continued to be so stupid, that the next time she would slap twice."

Wyatt was so glad to see Jeb laughing. It was something he had dreamed of back in Kansas, but had never, ever thought would actually happen.

"Wyatt! Wyatt!" Glitch's panicked yell broke into the moment he was sharing with his son.

"Wyatt!" Glitch skidded to a stop in front of him, panting. "Wyatt... Toto... DG..." Glitch pointed wildly over his shoulder.

"Slow down, Glitch," Wyatt said.

"What's this about DG?" Jeb asked.

Raw jogged into the gathering with Toto not far behind him. "DG in trouble," Raw said. "Needs our help now."

"What? Where?" Wyatt asked.

"When the Seeker took DG, I followed them," Toto said. "Azkadellia found them and has DG trapped."

"I knew we shouldn't trust the Seeker," Wyatt said roughly. "He probably was working with Azkadellia, all along."

"Oh, I don't think so," Toto said. "The Seeker was just an alias, his real name is Ahamo."

"The Seeker was the royal consort?" Jeb asked in a shocked tone of voice. "But, then, why would he... Of course." Jeb slapped his forehead. "He wasn't finding nobles for the witch. He was finding them and hiding them from the witch."

"We need to move quickly." Wyatt turned to Jeb. "The four of us can help DG. The Witch wouldn't have left her behind unless DG wasn't of use to her anymore, which means DG must have found the Emerald of the Eclipse."

"But if the Witch has the Emerald..." Jeb's eyes went wide in shock for a moment before he began to yell orders.

"Zek! Get some horses tacked now! Hill! Assemble the men!" Jeb took off, running towards the center of the camp, "Morgan! Gather whatever explosives you can find! I don't care if we have to level the whole tower, we will stop the witch!"

* * *

Toto ran madly to keep ahead of the horses; his heart felt as if it was about to explode and every breath burned in his chest, but they had to get back to DG. If she was hurt - or worse, had died - because he wasn't fast enough...

He ran into the clearing and scratched wildly at the door. Unlike the last time however, the doors swung open and Toto fell onto a hard, marble floor as DG staggered out.

Thank the gods, Toto thought as he let the coolness of the green marble soak into his poor, overworked body, she's safe.

After a moment, he felt a set of hands slide under him and lift him up. "Oh, Toto." DG hugged him gently and Toto felt a wave of magic surge into him, refreshing his aching body and restoring his stamina. DG set him down and Toto barked sharply. The race against time wasn't over yet.


	16. Chapter 16

This was it, DG thought. Fifteen annuals ago, she had made a mistake that had cost her mother to lose her magic, Glitch to lose his mind, the Mystic Man to lose his life and the people of the Outer Zone to lose almost every thing they had held dear.

She could do this.

She would do this.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hunter... no Jeb Cain - and wasn't that a freaky thing to thing about later - looking through a pair of field glasses, while Wyatt and Glitch were pointing at different parts of the tower.

"It kind of boggles the noggin' to think that we're going to go in there, all guns blazing," Glitch said, and she heard a hint of fear in his voice.

DG looked around quickly. If Glitch, Jeb and Wyatt were over there, then where was Raw? She walked up behind the men and gently put a hand on Glitch's back and asked, "Hey, have you guys seen Raw?"

Wyatt's eyes caught hers for a second before Glitch nodded his head towards the trees and said, "I, uh... I think he's... lost his nerve." DG jumped to her feet and went off to find Raw.

Raw was pacing back and forth, waving his hands slightly, when DG found him. "Hey, Raw. I wanted to show you something." As DG held up her now-unmarked, left hand, she saw that Glitch and Wyatt had followed her.

"That's bad, right?" Glitch asked. "I mean... you lost the emerald, so..." He paused for a second, trying to ponder it out himself. "What does that mean?"

"It means," DG took a deep breath, "that I don't need it anymore. All that I need is right here." She patted her chest twice before turning to look Raw in the eye.

"Raw, you are no coward," DG said firmly. "You have taught me that courage is not about being fearless. It's about standing up in spite of your fear. You stood up to the papays, you threw yourself off a cliff, you escaped from prison."

"Raw do that for DG," he said softly.

"No, you did that for you." DG placed a hand on Raw's chest. "Courage has been in you all along," she said.

A brightness filled Raw's face as he opened his arms wide to hug her.

"You know, when I had a brain, I was twice as scared as I am now with only half a brain." Glitch began to wave a hand around to accentuate his point. "Which means that, if I had no brain at all, I would be four times braver then I was when I was brainy."

It was all DG could do not to laugh. "Glitch, you are the smartest guy I know."

"Nah," Glitch dropped his gaze. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"You helped me remember my past and that's probably the most important weapon I have, now."

Glitch's eyes turned watery and DG pulled him in to a hug before his tears could start her crying.

When Glitch let go, he had composed himself. With a sly glance from her to Wyatt then back, he slipped behind her and pulled Raw out towards where the other fighters were.

DG slowly walked up to Wyatt. "I know what you're doing, sweetheart. I've led men in to battle myself."

"Yeah, see we're gonna have to talk about that later," DG said as she slipped her body under his arm. "Because there is an awful lot of stuff that you either haven't told me, or changed in a major way."

Pressing a quick kiss to his chin, she asked, "So, how'd I do with the pep talks?"

"Well..." Wyatt's lip twitched into a grin, "there's less hugging when I do it."

"Oh, and here I thought you liked it when I hugged you." DG started to pull away playfully, but Wyatt's arms tightened around her, holding her next to him.

"Look, you may not be able to save your sister," Wyatt said, hesitantly. "So, if our plan doesn't work, you will get out of there, right?"

DG looked up and studied his face for a moment. What a truly amazing man he was. He had his family ripped from him, had been locked up, then thrown into a totally alien world – It was amazing that he was still sane, let alone the fact that his heart had healed enough to love her.

* * *

The Witch was gone. DG and Azkadellia ran down the hall, holding hands as if they were children, once again. The large door to the Witch's audience room brought Azkadellia up short. "I can't do this, DG."

"Do what?"

"I can't go in there, face them." Azkadellia started to back up.

"Az, you really think that they will be mad?" DG asked in wonder.

"Yes. No. I mean... I don't know what I mean," Az said.

"Well, now you just sound like Glitch." DG smiled widely and reached around her sister to open the door with one hand, and push Az with the other. "I'm right here, behind you."

DG watched from the door as her mother hesitantly asked, "My Azkadellia? Is that really you?"

As Ahamo moved to embrace Az, DG stepped into the room.

"DG, my angel!" Her mother ran to hold her. "Oh, how I've missed you, my darling."

It was a wonderful moment, the newly-reconnected family just being happy with each other, but DG guiltily felt that something was missing. The sound of sharp clacking on the floor caused her to turn around.

The three men, and one dog, who had been her lifeline during the last, mad week, were standing in the doorway.

DG took a step forward and was immediately engulfed in a hug by Glitch and Raw.

"Ambrose?" her mother asked.

"Um, mostly." Glitch stepped away from DG and made a fancy bow.

"And you must be Raw," Ahamo said. "I'm really sorry about that trap."

As the Royal couple began to act the part once again, DG turned to look at Wyatt. There was blood on the shoulder of coat, and DG reached out to gently touch it.

"Just a scratch, sweetheart," Wyatt said.

"Just a scratch?" DG repeated. "Does it hurt?"

"A little," Wyatt said as her took a step towards her, "but it doesn't hurt enough to stop me from kissing you."

DG smiled and slid her arms around his waist and closed her eyes. This was what she had been missing.

When DG and Wyatt broke apart, they crossed the room to join the rest of the group on the balcony to watch the suns slowly move away from the moon.

DG leaned back against Wyatt's chest and sighed, "There's the O.Z. I remember."


	17. Epilogue

Well, this is it. Thank you to everyone who stuck around even after I forgot to post for two years; you all rock!

I know authors say that all the time, but I've been going through a really rough spot IRL and the out pouring a love for this story was such a boost to my spirits.

* * *

_Six Months Later..._

Central City was absolutely breathtaking. The whole city, both the people and the buildings, had put on their best for the celebration week.

At the start of the day, DG and Azkadellia had recast the spell that gave the city its wonderful, jewel-like glow. Then there had been a ceremony, with speeches and awards given to many of the resistance fighters and others who had helped to keep the old O.Z. alive.

Now that the suns had set, and thousands of lights twinkled everywhere, DG and Wyatt had slipped off by themselves.

"I don't think I have ever seen something so beautiful," DG said.

"I have," Wyatt replied and leaned in to kiss her.

"You are in a rare mood tonight, Mr. Cain," DG said when the kiss ended.

"I am," he said, smugly. "In fact..."

DG laughed as Wyatt pulled her down an alleyway and into a square. Someone had put a music player on their porch and the square was filled with people dancing.

"May I have this dance?" Wyatt asked with a bow.

DG laughed again, "Always, Wyatt. Always.


End file.
